Just knitting along

There isn't much new going on around here. I am working at least two rows per day on the shawl. It is progressing slowly. I haven't sat down at the wheel except for twice this week.

Where has all my time gone? Since "R" had his accident almost two weeks ago, our family has spent numerous visits to the "Doc". "R" with the accident, the next day with "ES" for bronchitis, two days later for "ES" when he still wasn't feeling better (then it was pneumonia), four days later it was "ES" and "C" ("ES" for a check on his oxygen levels and "C" for a sinus infection), two days later is was "ES" and "R" ("ES" for oxygen levels again and "R" for strep throat). It has been a really long week or two!

I am looking forward to the weekend, although I have to work on Sunday. I am hoping to get some knitting and spinning projects finished.

ES and I got up at 4:30 this morning to see the lunar eclipse. It was pretty cool! I didn't think to take my camera outside until this morning. Pictures would have been nice. While we were outside we saw that "C's" light was on, so I had him come out and see also. He said it was cool too.

These are pictures of the dying I did on Sunday night. I used three easter egg tablets per cup of water and three tablespoons of vinegar. The colors are pretty bright, even if you can't tell from the pictures. I used four colors which you can see in the picture. There is green (my favorite color), blue (my second favorite), orange and purple. I just picked the tablets and hoped they would go together, because I didn't know which colors I was actually getting. This was a fun project and I will definitely do it again.

Well, happy knitting & spinning!

Yesterday morning I wanted to do some dying. I couldn't find my dyes!!! How frustrating, to know I have some dyes somewhere and not be able to find them! After about two hours of looking and wondering, I decided to use kool-aid. I used three packets of tropical punch on about 8 oz. of wool.






Neither one of the pictures accurately depict the color that turned out. The bottom of the pan was more saturated so is a darker color and the top is variegated. I think I will like it once it is spun, but we will see.

I did find my dyes last night when I was looking for something else! Now I can do some other experiments. I am going to need some plain white wool before very long.

On the shawl front, I frogged it and reknit it. Once I got to the third skein, I decided it needed to be done on larger needles. I am now, since this picture was taken, back to the third skein and I like how the shawl is turning out much better. The larger needles make the pattern more lacy which make it prettier, in my opinion. I can almost see the end in sight, again.

Yesterday afternoon, I took "R" and "C" and one of "R's" friends to the lake. They had quite a lot of fun skipping rocks and goofing off. The water was pretty cold, so they didn't get in all the way. I only waded in to just over my knees and said that was enough. I figured "R" had permission from his PO to go to the lake, so we had better go. We only spent two hours there, but I came back with sun burnt knees and the boys both have red backs. No, I was the idiot and forgot the sunscreen!


There are the boys on the island. Checking out the water and finding rocks to skip. It was a fun outing and something that we needed to do together. Jim and "A2" didn't join us as they went somewhere else and then home for ES to rest. ES has pneumonia, since Tuesday, and tires easily.

My baby's 16!!

"C" turned 16 today. It's hard to believe that that much time has gone by since we carried him home! What a character he is! He has been the source of laughter, anxiety and love. He bonds his brothers together and enjoys spending time with each one of them. Happy Birthday!

On the knitting front, I have this quick little shawl. It's almost to the cast off point. It was started a week ago today and has been my carry everywhere project since then. It even went to the Chukar's baseball game on Saturday night. My inside, night picture isn't the best and doesn't show the color well. When I have the shawl completed I will take an outside daytime picture and you can compare the two.

Happy knitting & spinning!

No knitting

Last night should have been a watch tv, knit night, but on the way home from work I picked up "R" and decided he needed to go to the "Doc in the box" instead. I asked him who "jumped" him. He said he wrecked on the bicycle. Doesn't he look wonderful? This was four hours after the fact with ice and ibuprofen. Today he doesn't look nearly as bad and his eye doesn't seem to be as swollen either.
On the knitting front: I am working on a shawl which will be a Christmas present. I think I have to start now to get everything finished before the end of December. I have numerous things to knit on the "list", lots of little things that won't take very long, but really do end up taking forever.

Warning! Picture heavy post!

It has been a long week this past week. The boys are getting ready to start school tomorrow. Hip, hip, hooray! They went shopping for clothes with money their dad sent, on Wednesday. I then took "C" on Thursday evening to get some more of his clothes which he didn't want to get with "R".

On Wednesday I finally finished spinning three bobbins of the "sea foam" roving. Friday night and Saturday morning I plied the bobbins to get this beautiful three ply.


I think it really looks much better in person. I haven't counted the yards yet, but I think there are around 200. I think this would make a wonderful scarf or something else. Any suggestions?

Yesterday was spent at the fiber guilds dye workshop. We had lots of fun with black walnuts and indigo.

We started with two piles of fiber like this. One pile went into the indigo and the other into the black walnut.


It was a lot of fun watching the indigo change from green to blue as it hit the air! The black walnut turned out such lovely shades. The roving that Heather and Lyn put in were a camelid color at first. Lyn put her roving back in the dye pot to get a darker color which she likes much better.

We had rain this year. It is the first time in all the years of doing the dye workshop that it has rained. Granted, it didn't rain very much, but the drops were h-u-g-e. We did run to put spinning wheels in cars or the house before they got wet. It kind of put a damper on the spinning for the rest of the afternoon.

On the umbrella stand is only a portion of what was dyed. The skeins and roving all look pretty hanging there drying.
Heather has two very different indigo dyed rovings. The one on the left is from the first dye pot and was put in with two other rovings in a mesh bag. The right side is from the second pot with the roving just put in the pot, not in the mesh bag. The one on the left will be a pretty variegated yarn, I think.

Finally, just for you Lyn. Here's a picture of one of the oil lamps I made for girls camp. It fits in just the palm of my hand. And no, I haven't tried lighting it!
Well, happy knitting & spinning!

Surprises

Last night when I got home from work, there was this wonderful surprise waiting for me.
Three pink roses! Aren't they beautiful? ES had them waiting for me, as it was our anniversary. We have been married for four years now! It is hard to believe sometimes that I have finally found the "one" who really fits me! I love him with all my heart!

Now on to knitting news. I finished the Christmas stocking that I was just casually working on and designing as I went along. This stocking is supposed to go in the wedding gift drawer. I do have to make a mate for it still, but it will be a little different as I have run out of some of the yarn I used in the first one. This was a fun project, mainly because I didn't know what would be coming up next. The only thing I kept consistent was using the contrast color in the previous design as the main color in the next section.
The picture isn't quite as bright as I would like, but it is cloudy outside. And right now, I would rather take the clouds and the cooler temps it brings.

Well, off to the "races". Happy spinning & knitting.

Back from West Piney

The weather was great except for the wind that came up each afternoon. The eating area was decorated wonderfully. Our theme was Princess' of Potential so every camp chose a magic kingdom and ours was the land of Aladdin. Our eating area was decorated like an Arabian tent. We had tassels along the front of the frame there and on each of the tents in our area.
We had lots of fun at West Piney girls camp. The different level girls each had a hike they did on Wednesday, that was a quiet day in camp! The first levels hiked Monument, the second levels hiked Spaulding Falls, and the third levels hiked Table Rock. They all did very well, but we were concerned for the third years because they did not get back until 8:30 pm and they had left at 7:30 am. They ended up having to wait for some hikers and that took all the time.

After the hikes Brother Hays gave each of the girls Snoopy socks. They are an unmatched pair. One sock has stripes and the other sock has dots. The girls really liked them and wore them the rest of the night and on the following day. They looked quite cute with the flip flops.

On Wednesday while the girls were on their hikes, three huge helicopters flew over camp. When we stopped for Square ice cream cones, after camp, there the helicopters were. ES says they say "Marines" on the side of them. Wonder what they were doing in our little part of Idaho?

Well, girls camp was fun, although I did get tired of squealing girls. But I am glad to be back, hopefully into my same routine. Although the routine will change again in two weeks as the boys will be back in school.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Bird entertainment for spinning

Yesterday morning while spinning, I watched three of these little birds feeding off the plant in the flower box. You can see two of them in the sunlight under the tire and to the right. They were feeding on this plant for about 15 minutes while I took pictures and they didn't get scared away when I went to get the camera and moved around in the living room. They were really fascinating to watch. It was amazing how they could jump around and not lose their balance while eating away at the seeds.
I also have pictures of the viscose which I bought at the only SOAR I attended in 1996. It was really compacted so I pre-drafted all of it and am spinning it on the Lendrum from the fold, such as how you can spin silk. The colors are pretty dark and the predominate color when spun is the blue. I'm thinking this would make a really pretty scarf. I won't know for sure though, until I get it all spun and count how many yards I get.
This is all I bought at Mustard Seed Dreams, after spinners on July 28th. I have a pair of socks on the needles right now, but I'm thinking I might try the Sockotta as soon as I get this pair done. The Fixation is for another pair of socks. Becky's pair that she did in Fixation turned out really, really nice, so I am excited to try this.

Just to let you know, I will be at Girl's Camp until Friday afternoon. I probably won't post again until then or Saturday evening after work. Until then--Happy knitting & spinning!

Salt Scrubs

As I have said: these past few days have been spent getting ready for girls camp. Last night after work, I made twenty individual salt scrub kits. One for each girl going and for the leaders. Each kit has the salt scrub and a stirring stick. The girls will use these kits after their hikes on Wednesday.

I forgot to take a picture last night with all the kits spread all over the table. So now you get them in a pile on the floor.

Just to let you know, I haven't completely given up on spinning these past few days. I found some fiber in the stash that has been there since 1997. The Scholar is working very well at making this become some bright yarn. And I am still working on the "Sea foam" on the Hitchhiker. One of these days, I'll have the "Sea foam" spun.
Well, off to the "races". Happy spinning & knitting.

Angel's Landing

Here she is: Angel's Landing by Judy at Wasatch Watercolours. I started spinning about June 23 and finished July 29. I have a little over 270 yards out of 8 ozs. of roving. Don't know what to do with it yet, as there is not a lot. I thought it would make a loverly scarf. What do you think?
I haven't done much in the way of knitting or spinning since Saturday. I am busy making Babylonian oil lamps for Girl's Camp. Girl's camp is next week and once that is over I will be back to my usual routine: spinning for about 15 - 20 minutes in the morning and knitting for awhile each night.

On the personal side: R had his bike stolen tonight while he was at counseling. He called to tell me about it and to ask for a ride home. When I went to pick him up, he had his bike! Some guy was walking past the office when counseling was over, pushing R's bike. The guy had bought the bike off a kid down by the river for $20. The only thing wrong with the bike was that the front tire was now flat. I told R that he was living right right at that time!